Section 5
Council Wide Water
Conservation Actions
Section 5.0 Council Wide Water Conservation Actions
5.1 Section Summary
The purpose of this section is to address the following water conservation actions not
captured under Section 4 (Water Savings Action Plans – Top 11 Water Users):
1. identify water conservation projects and initiatives already underway at Kiama
Municipal Council (Table 5.2.1), and
2. highlight potential initiatives that may directly or indirectly foster water
conservation within Council operations and the broader community (Table 5.3.1)
Potential initiatives covered in this Section are typically broad in their context, often
applying across a number of Council activities and departments. At this stage, these
broad initiatives have not been assessed for their conservation value as they fall outside
the present strategic focus of these Water Savings Action Plans (i.e. not within the Top
11 Highest Water Users).
The assessment of these potential water conservation initiatives will be undertaken in
due course as per Council’s commitment to Sydney Water Corporation’s Every Drop
Counts Program.
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5.2 Water Conservation Projects Currently Underway
Table 5.2.1 identifies current water conservation projects and initiatives already underway at Kiama Municipal Council not captured under the
Section 4 (i.e. Top 11 high water users).
Table 5.2.1: Water conservation projects / initiatives currently underway at Kiama Municipal Council not captured under the Top 11 High Water Users (Section 4).
Project Initiative
Department and Location
Status
Comments
No.
Director /
Manager
1
Waste Depot
Minnamurra Waste
Operational
Used for back up fire fighting Supply and fill point for water tanker
2 × 23,000 L in
Manager
Depot
for dust suppression
ground storm
water catchment
tanks
2
23,000 L above
Waste Depot
Minnamurra Waste
Operational
Wash bay water for vehicle washing
ground
Manager
Depot
rainwater tank +
4,500L inground tank
3.
15,000 litre
Waste Depot
Minnamurra Waste
Operational
For storage of treated wash bay water for eventual reuse in garden
above ground
Manager
Depot
beds
tank
Waste Depot
Minnamurra Waste
Implementation Collect water from MRF building to be used for washing said
4.
2 × 22,500 litre
Manager
Depot
building out and to supply water for a Fire Protection System for
tanks
Paper / Cardboard storage building
5.
6.
7.
22,500 L
rainwater tank
for recycling
Spring loaded
taps for public
showers
Waste Depot
Manager
Removal of any
unnecessary
Manager
Environment and
Manager
Environment and
Parks
Minnamurra Waste
Depot, Storage
Building
Public amenities,
beaches, parks, and
reserves
Implementation
Used for industrial cleaning of waster services plant.
Implementation
Reserves
Implementation
Ongoing. This should be integrated into purchasing and maintenance
policies, i.e. replacement of expired hardware with more efficient
forms within all departments. This is a cost effective and potentially
high volume deliverer of water savings
Again, this should be integrated into the objectives of all departments
where applicable, i.e., their identification and removal
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Project
No.
8.
9.
10.
Initiative
taps and other
water outlets
Installation of
stormwater
collection tanks
Instillation of
three 18,000 L
tanks
Efficient
Fittings and
fixtures
Department and
Director /
Manager
Parks
Location
Status
Comments
Director
Community
Services
Director
Community
Services
Director
Community
Services
New Library
Operational
As part of the design for new Library. Used to irrigate gardens.
New Library
Operational
Uses include irrigation and toilets. Are topped up with towns’ water
if level gets below certain point.
New Library
Operational
Toilets are Caroma Smartflush
(http://www.caroma.smartflush.com.au/) which have 4A WSAA
rating and a 4.5 / 3L dual flush system.
Taps are 3A WSAA rated Caroma Nordic Mixers
Used water flows into drainage pit where solids are filtered, then is
transferred to a larger tank where further treating occurs. This water
is then used to irrigate lawn (automated, based on systems water
level)
11.
Recycled water
used to wash
pens
Manager
Environment and
Health
Dog Pound
Operational
12.
Fitting of
rainwater tanks
to Gerringong
Volunteer Bush
Fire Station
Director
Engineering and
Works
Fire Station
Operational
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5.3 Proposed Initiatives
The proposed initiatives for water conservation actions not captured under the strategic focus of the present Water Savings Action Plans for
Kiama Municipal Council are provided in Table 5.3.1 below:
Table 5.3.1: Proposed initiatives for water conservation at Kiama Municipal Council that fall outside Section 4 of the Kiama Municipal Council’s Water Conservation
Action Plans.
No. Initiative Description
Details / Recommendations
Further Information / Potential Partnership
Organizations
1
Install rainwater tanks to all existing
This initiative applies to existing Council buildings that
NSW Department of Health recommendations
Council buildings were practical.
would benefit from rainwater tanks, and whose inclusion
and regulations regarding the installation and use
would sufficiently reduce the consumption of Sydney
of rainwater tanks.
Sydney Water Corporation for information on
Water Corporation potable water to justify their
rebates, funding, legislation and codes of practice
instillation. It is recommended that buildings first be
(e.g. backflow prevention, cross connection
ranked based on water use; then assessed for suitability
prevention)
based on roof catchment size; ease of installing tanks;
Sydney Water Corporation’s meter data
and the ease of plumbing rainwater to: toilets, urinals,
spreadsheet for Kiama Municipal Council ranks
washing machines, and other non-potable uses.
meters according to water flow through each
Consideration should also be given to energy use and the
meter. This will help with ranking sites and can
minimization of the generation of greenhouse gases
be found at H:\Andrewt\Excel\Kiama Usage 8687 to 04-05.xls
2.
Develop a Council wide register of all
Council has a large number of water using fixtures
Sydney Water Corporation’s meter data spreadsheet for
water using fixtures and devices for the
spread through out its operational and public facilities.
Kiama Municipal Council ranks meters according to water
purpose of improving efficiency of each
These need to be inputted into a register that identifies
flow through each meter. This will help identify all Council
device, and keeping track of progress.
their location (incorporate into Council’s GIS system),
sites using water, and identify which meters are registering
These registers may be broken down into
present water usage rates, how these can be made more
no or very low water flows H:\Andrewt\Excel\Kiama Usage
Departments or facility types (e.g. Parks
efficient (e.g. water saving devices), and their present
86-87 to 04-05.xls
and Gardens, or public amenities)
status (e.g. whether or not a water saving device has been
installed). Note that this initiative can include the
removal of water using devices and / or meters that are
not used, or a rarely used. This will prevent vandalism,
misuse and save Council having to pay for service
charges for meters that are rarely being used.
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No.
Initiative Description
Details / Recommendations
3.
The identification and assessment of
alternate water sources
Such initiatives may include:
Reuse of tertiary treated wastewater from
Gerringong Gerroa WWTP for non-potable uses
beyond Seven Mile Beach Holiday Park
Reuse of secondary treated wastewater from
Bombo WWTP beyond Kiama Golf Course
Jerrara Dam. This dam was built in the 1970s
to supply water to Jamberoo Village but was
abandoned when the water quality did not meet
drinking water guidelines. The water in this
dam may be suitable for other non-potable
sources and / or may now be treatable with
existing technology to bring it up to present
drinking water quality standards.
Stormwater reuse (e.g. reuse stormwater to
irrigate Hindmarsh Park and Black Beach
Reserve).
Greywater reuse
5.
Implement council wide water metering
monitoring program across all council sites
This project involves monitoring the water meter(s) of
sites using an automatic data logger to identify base
flows in order to identify and measure leakage and other
forms of water wastage. This will involve identifying
sites outside of the top 11 that would benefit from this
program, and monitoring their meter(s) every half hour,
24 hours per day for at least two weeks. When
anomalies are found, actions must be defined and
implemented ASAP.
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Further Information / Potential Partnership
Organizations
The following documents may be of assistance:
Australian Drinking Water Standards 2004
Guidelines for the reuse of effluent (NSW
Department of Health)
Interim Guidance for Greywater and Sewage
Recycling in Multi-Unit Dwellings and
Commercial Premises (NSW Department of
Health)
Australian and New Zealand Guidelines for Fresh
and Marine Water Quality
(http://www.deh.gov.au/water/quality/nwqms/volu
me1.html)
Possible Partnership Organisaionts:
NSW Department of Health
Illawarra Public Health Unit
Sydney Water Corporation
Department of Energy, Utilities and Sustainability
Veolia Water (Organisation contracted to run the
Gerringong Gerroa WWTP)
Nearby local Councils (e.g. Shellharbour Council’s
highest water user is their golf course near Killalea
for the purpose of irrigation)
Information on data loggers may be obtained from:
NSW Department of Commerce Hydraulics and
Water Saving Service
Hastings Data Loggers, PO Box 5112, Port
Macquarie, 2444 (phone: 02 6581 3900)
Sydney Water Corporation (Fernando Ortega,
Water Conservation and Recycling, Sydney Water
Corporation, ph: (02) 9350-5207)
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No.
Initiative Description
Details / Recommendations
6
Development and implementation of
promotional and education programs
designed to promote water conservation.
Such programs can be designed to target Council staff or
the general community. If people understand why water
conservation is important and how water conservation
can be achieved, then they are more likely to participate
in water conservation initiatives and identify areas and
ideas to improve water conservation within Kiama
Council’s LGA.
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Further Information / Potential Partnership
Organizations
Information on educational and promotional programs may
be obtained from
Sydney Water Corporation
Department of Environment and Conservation
Other local Councils
Possible Partnership Organizations:
Sydney Water Corporation
Department of Energy, Utilities and Sustainability
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